530 THE BREEDING OF THE ARCTIC FOX. 



breeding of these animals. The narrative of the Harriman expedition, 

 recently returned from Alaska, informs us that the Alaska Commercial 

 Company is doing- this in several islands of the region it exploits, and 

 in particular in the neighborhood of Kadiak, where the experiment has 

 succeeded to perfection and where the company has established 

 "blue-fox farms,'- which are in a flourishing condition. 



These farms are, in fact, -is simple as possilile. The breeding simply 

 consists in feeding the foxes during the winter, in protecting them 

 from their natural enemies, and in only capturing and killing them 

 under prescribed conditions. In order to be able to protect its wards, 

 the company places them w here they can not get away. It captures a 

 number of them on the mainland and puts some couples on certain 

 islands where there were none l)efore and whence they can not escape. 

 It provides for their needs by establishing stations on these islands 

 where special emplo3'ees go to carry the animals food, consisting 

 mainly of fish, fresh or dried, or else put up in oil. No salt fish is 

 given to them, because it is ])elieved that that woidd mar the ])eauty 

 of the fur. This food is left every da}' of the year in certain places, 

 which tlie foxes get to know, so that they resort there. 



Very ingeniously, the conipan}' causes the food to be always placed 

 in traps, which, however, are not set too close. The animals thus acquire 

 the habit of entering trai)s and do so without distrust. Thus, when 

 it is desired to capture any, the traps are set and do their work with 

 certainty. Food is given to the foxes all the year round, as nuich as 

 they seem to need, judging by the haste with which the}' eat what they 

 get. The}' get most in May, June, and Jul}', because it is then that 

 they litter, and the females consequently need a great deal of food. 



When the fur is in fine condition the foxes are trapped in the manner 

 above explained. The females are spared in order to favor nudtipli- 

 cation, being set at liberty after having been marked with scissors in 

 the caudal brush. Those males whose fur is suitable are killed; a 

 few of the very finest are, however, set free to improve the breed. 



It is to be remarked that the foxes do not live exclusively on the 

 food furnished them. They eat, besides, what they find, which varies 

 their fare, for they prowl about the shore and pick up any dead fish 

 which the sea may throw up; they follow the bears and eat what they 

 leave, and they hunt the rodents, so that in some of the farm islands 

 mice have been quite exterminated. The best parts of the fish are not 

 given to the foxes. They are fed on salmon mainly — the heads, and, 

 in short, whatever is not dried or preserved for man. 



It seems that not all the foxes are equally sensible of good and bad 

 treatment from men. In most of the islands there are individuals who 

 will not come to take the food that man distributes, but, avoiding the 

 traps, live entirely on what they can find for themselves. 



The foxes on the farms are numerous enough to be remarked as one 



